Pornhub's Instagram Account Has Been Officially Removed

Several organizations have praised IG for cutting ties with the free adult entertainment website.

It’s the end of an era for Pornhub.

As Complex reports, the free adult entertainment website’s profile on photo and video sharing app Instagram has been removed, seemingly thanks in part to a campaign headed by the CEO of a nonprofit called Justice Defense Fund, Laila Mickelwait, who is known for calling Pornhub out over its ties to the sex trafficking of minors.

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Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images

“Instagram has made the right decision by cutting ties with Pornhub, and now joins Visa, Mastercard, Discover, PayPal, Grant Thornton, Heinz, Unilever, Roku, and many other companies in rejecting to do business with Pornhub, a site infamous for monetizing the sex trafficking and criminal sexual abuse of countless victims including children,” Michelwait shared in a statement to the New York Daily News.

She continued, “It is worth remembering that it’s illegal in the United States according to the Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act to knowingly benefit from a sex trafficking venture,” before calling out other companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Reflected Networks to follow in the same footsteps.

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At the time of the IG page’s removal, the Canadian-owned adult site had more than 13M followers and 6,200 posts on its account.

Dawn Hawkins, CEO of The National Centre on Sexual Exploitation, has also shared a celebratory statement. “Instagram was right to remove Pornhub from its platform for violating its community standards given the increasing reports of Pornhub hosting child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking, filmed rape, and non-consensual videos and images,” it began.

“Instagram served as a distribution partner with this criminal enterprise, helping to push millions to their website, including children. We are grateful that Instagram has heard the voices of sexual abuse survivors who have been personally harmed by Pornhub’s insatiable appetite for profit.”

It’s been noted that Pornhub’s IG account didn’t post NSFW content, although it did advocate for porn and even encouraged followers to become involved with the industry themselves.

How do you feel about Instagram’s decision? Sound off in the comments below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more pop culture news updates.